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- [00:00]
A
Hey, comedy fans, the funniest comedians in the world are on tour and you can get tickets to see them live near you. Laugh at the biggest names in comedy like Atsuko Okotsuka, Chelsea Handler, Jimmy Carr, Kathy Griffin, Matt Matthews, Matt Rife, Sarah Silverman, Sebastian Maniscalco, Stavros Helkias, Wanda Sykes, and so many more. All kinds of shows, all kinds of venues, all kinds of funny. Head to livenation.comcomedy to get your tickets today. That's livenation.comcomedy.
- [00:30]
B
Hey, everybody. Jon Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, the weekly show. It's going to be coming out every Thursday. So exciting. You'll, you'll be saying to yourself, tgit, thank God it's Thursday. We're going to be talking about all the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election, economics, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. And I know that I listed that fourth, but in importance, it's probably second. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? I mean, talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show with Jon Stewart wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:30]
A
Hey, everyone, Desi Lydic here. The Daily show is on break for the holidays, but in the meantime, we put together some special highlights for you. We'll be back in the New Year on January 7th with all new episodes.
- [01:47]
B
What do you think about young people getting all of their information and entertainment from social media? I see no problem with it. Why would you? It seems great. Is that true? I mean, I don't know. Because obviously TV is dying. Don't. What? No, don't, sir. Well, let me ask you a question. In your mind, seeing as I work on television, will I die first? Because if that's the case, I don't mind. But don't you still watch TV, but you just watch it on your computer, on TikTok, on your phone? Right. But you understand that that's still tv. It's just you're watching it in a different delivery service. It's like heroin is heroin. Whether you snort it or shoot it, it's still an opiate for the masses, as is television. You're just getting it in smaller bites. But it's still, it's like it's still tv. We make it. Unless you have the look on your face like this poor boy, if he only knew the business he was in. Well, I hope we don't die quickly, but. And stay. And you're here and we're making TV for you tonight. Welcome to the Daily Show. I'm your host, Jon Stewart, captain of this dying medium. Why would you even say that to me? I had a gentleman tell me tonight. He said, oh, I'm so happy to be here. You know, your television is dying. I said, I am aware and in fact, I'm contributing to it. You're welcome. Out of all the interviews that you've had these many years, there's one that stands out as the most profound. Oh, most profound interview. Well, so I've interviewed people like literal dictators, like people that have killed people like Pervez. I don't know if you remember, Pervez Musharraf was the leader of Pakistan and this was post 9 11, so. And. And Al Qaeda had been threatening him with an assassination. Now I've had great like Malala Yousafzai and Bishop Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, like people of pure goodness. Like you just, they, they vibrate on a different plane of kindness and goodness than most people. And you can feel it on them. And then you have dictators, slightly different vibe. So Pervez Musharraf, it was only memorable because. So he was at the time the president of Pakistan and he was under assassination threat. He'd just written a book and it was his autobiography, I think. And so he came here to the show to promote it. And that day we had snipers on the roof, we had AK47s in the hallway, guys marching. We had bomb dogs, we had. I mean, it was a level of security that I had never seen before. And I realized, like, this man is risking his life to tell his story on this show. I should have read the book. That's what I remember thinking is I thought, I thought, oh, shit, I feel terrible. Now. There's this guy's. He. He could die. And I'm just gonna be like, so is Pakistan hot? Like, I didn't know shit. But the cr. So the crazy part was, even with all that security layer right in the studio, they put a Kevlar front on the desk. Like, this was no bullshit. This was. Many of you are younger, so you don't remember after 9 11, like we all lost our minds safety wise. So like, so they put a Kevlar front on the Daily show desk. And I'm in there and I'm looking at it and I say, because there are Secret Service agents from both countries, America and Pakistan in the room. And I Go, what's. So tell me about this. What's going on? And they said, well, if somebody manages to get through any kind of security issues and tries to assassinate President Musharraf, we will jump and push him down below the Kevlar to protect him from the bullets. And I said, you know, funny thing is, I'm also, you know, because he, you know, I understand. He'll be there, and then I'll be sitting there. What should I do? Without missing a beat, a New York City cop walked by and he goes, you should fucking duck. I started watching you on MTV back in. Oh, dear God. Now, you were. These are one of those that are always rough because, like, I was six years old, you would come on my pa, and I. I'm just so curious. Yeah. You know, knowing what you know now, you know, if you went back to, you know, the early 90s, is there.
- [07:23]
A
Anything you would have advised us or done differently? Like, different guests?
- [07:28]
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Like somebody maybe didn't have. Or not on the MTV program you watched that show? Cause it was like, I think the guests. The first guest on the MTV show, the. The premiere episode. Now, this is. So I should explain to me, because younger people in the audience. MTV was a cultural force in, like, the 70s. No, in the 80s, I guess. It started right with Video Kill, the Radio Shower, the Boggles. And then from there, it was really cool. And then. I don't know what the happened to it, but my first guest was. Howard Stern was the first guest, and he came on and he said, you suck. The set looks ridiculous. You'll be canceled in six weeks. And I just sat there, like, don't say that. But, you know, it was such a different kind of show. I think the two guests on that first show were. It was Howard Stern, a boy that ate cheese into the shape of states, who was referred to in all the production documents as Cheese Boy. The crazy part is, Cheese Boy is probably, like, 50 now. Cheese boy is an ophthalmologist. But we had so much fun, but it was such a different ethos. And then we went to. I was hired to replace Arsenio, which makes total sense. And. And so you can imagine how that went. And. And then that got cancelled. I remember the last two weeks of that show were just chaos. Like, it's. It's good that they took us off the air because someone was going to die. Like, Marilyn Manson was on the show. He lit a fire during his performance. An actor smashed a mug and cut his hand wide open. And the final one was, there was an act called the Birdman of Vegas. And the Birdman of Vegas had a condor act. I don't know if you've ever been around condors. They're gigantic. They were probably like, there's my size. Not that I'm gigantic, but in the bird world, I'd be badass. Like. Like if I woke up on a pigeon, the pigeon would be like, I don't want any problems. But the bird there's like six feet tall. So he's doing the bit, and the bit is his assistant is there. And the condor will fly from his arm to the other arm. And it's a giant bird with a wingspan of 12ft. And it flies over. But the bird apparently wasn't going to do that that day. Instead what it did is it flew into the audience. And so a giant condor just started pecking the shit. And then the audience starts chanting, sue them, sue them. And I'm just like, I. And we were like, canceled. We were already canceled. I was just like, I will let the birds kill everyone. I don't give a. But that was the experience there. So if you say, like, would you have done anything differently? I'd be like, I guess I would have made sure the condors were leashed. How happy are you to be back? How happy am I to be back tonight? You know, I don't know if any of you have ever had to slog it out one day a week like this. It is, you know, I don't know what you guys do, and I listen, this is not to disrespect your work ethic or any of the things. Things that you are, but, you know, it was around 3:00 today, 3:00 in the afternoon. And I remember turning and looking at somebody and saying, I just don't know how much longer I can do this, you know, because he was almost four. No, it's been. I have to say, it's been lovely. You know, I have been in hibernation for a few years with my family, and I would never give that back. Like, it was. It's been wonderful. And Covid played very much into my social leanings in terms of reclusiveness. So once a week is about right for me with people and for people with me. The best piece of advice. Wow, that is such an end of life question. That really is. Nobody ever comes to like a 22 year old and like, best advice, and they're like, well, beer on liquor, never been sicker. All right, the best advice, I'm trying to think of good Advice. I don't really. I don't seek counsel in that way. Do you like a mentor? I didn't have a mentor. This is back in, like, late 70s, early 80s, so there were no mentors. I was raised feral, so I don't have a ton of. A ton of advice. Oh, here's one. This is a good one. So I used to host a show on mtv. It was a talk show, and then it got bought by Paramount to replace Arsenio. So I was the natural replacement for Arsenio because I think a lot of people are like, hey, the hip African American guy, let's stick a maybe small Jew in his place and see what happens. And so the show was on for, like, nine months and it got canceled, and we were all very sad. And when your name is on it and they tell you to get out of the building, like, it's. It's very hurtful. David Letterman came on the final show, and on the final show, he said to me, don't confuse cancellation with failure. And I thought that was really interesting. And then in the commercial break, he said, although this is also a failure, he just didn't want me to confuse it.
- [13:49]
A
Hey, comedy fans, the funniest comedians in the world are on tour, and you can get tickets to see them live near you. Laugh at the biggest names in comedy like Atsuko Katsuka, Chelsea Handler, Jimmy Carr, Kathy Griffin, Matt Matthews, Matt Rife, Sarah Silverman, Sebastian Maniscalco, Stavros Helkias, Wanda Sykes, and so many more. All kinds of shows, all kinds of venues, all kinds of funny. Head to livenation.comcomedy to get your tickets today. That's LiveNation.
- [14:19]
B
Hey, everybody. Jon Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, the weekly show coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? Listen to the weekly show with Jon Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. I mean, the state of the world for young people right now is. No, you're good. And so how old are you? I'm 22. Oh, you'll be. You got so many. We're gonna. This. We're gonna ruin this so much. You have no idea what we've got planned. You are walking into Thunderdome. No, you're gonna. Honestly, like, we do this all the time, every generation, like, even the greatest generation. Like, I mean, they dropped atomic bombs on people. Like, don't. Don't let the perspective. We always think that the world is at its worst in the moment that we're in it. But, like, you have to remain optimistic because the images that they present to us are to heighten your fear. That's how they make their. Oh, you're gonna love the show tonight. I think you're gonna love the show. But. But. So what do you. What are you. What are you thinking? I think a lot of young people are a little bit not happy with the choice of candidates we have on the record. I guess we feel like, I vote. Our voice doesn't matter. Oh, it so matters. Yeah, you. In fact, your voice is. Can I tell you something about advertisers? Do you know that advertisers, they look at different demographics, but the largest demographic that they look at is 18 to 24. That's the one that means everything to them. Use that power, the power of the person. I'm 61. I'm not even listed anymore. Like, literally, companies would be like, what about people over 55? And they're like, I think they might be dead. Like, don't discount the power that you guys have. You have a tremendous amount. How do I tell other young people? I would think on Instagram, I would tell them on Instagram. This is the fight, man. No generation ever feels empowered or seen or any of those things. But what I would suggest is trust your discomfort because you clearly feel it. But discomfort is a wonderful motivator. It's sort of the difference between stress and anxiety. Like, action is the antidote to anxiety. And if you feel anxiety, it will lessen as you take action. Small actions, like, a little bit every day. You know, I have young people that live in my house, and I usually see them after three when they've woken up. And generally they just want me to make them a bagel. So it's different. But honestly, like, that discomfort will spur you on, I'm sure of it. And your generation. And then you'll be in a position to save us, but you won't want to. I have a question about, like, college. You had a question about college campuses. Okay, so the cafeteria, if you want to go by the quad, you're going to look for the quad. Usually the food is near the quad. I just wanted to ask for your advice about navigating the political Adventist State, especially during election season here in college campuses, and engage in conversations with. Listen, the beautiful thing about college is that it's built for that. It's built for you to push the limits of who you think you are and who you think you want to be. And it's a wonderful experience. The thing that I would say to you is have the courage in the internal barometer that you've developed over the years for yourself about right and wrong. And don't necessarily just allow the conditions that you find yourself in to shape that you. You're here for a reason and you're that way for a reason. And be strong in that and learn. Be open to people, but be convicted. It's, you know, I think it's a wonderful experience for kids. And I don't worry about, you know, Gen Z. They're so shut the up. You know, it's. Every generation is like, that generation sucks. We were awesome. And I like, meh. I know my generation. Like we were doing whippets in 11th grade. Like, what's a book do you think everyone should have on their shelf? Wow, that's a great question. And I really thought you were going to end it with what's a book? Because you get that a lot from the kids. Now, sir, I have a question. What's a book? And I was going to say it's like a movie. You flip. I would say so. This may sound antiquated. I was, I feel like I was raised on Kurt Vonnegut. And so any Kurt Vonnegut I had the whole. From Player Piano to Breakfast of champions to Slaughterhouse 5 to, you know, Mother, all of them. And he was my favorite author by far. And I felt like he educated me in the genre of optimistic, cynical humanism. Like the thing that you're talking about. How do you maintain. So he's a guy who was an author who came of age. He fought in World War II. He saw Dresden. That's what Slaughterhouse Five was about. It was about his experiences seeing the worst that people could do. And people always mistook his cynicism as. Or his. I guess I should say his dryness as cynicism. But it was really idealism. He believed so much in people that he couldn't help but be somewhat disappointed that we were blowing it in the way that we were blowing it. But I would say, line your desk with Kurt Vonnegut and you cannot go wrong. And I was lucky enough to get to interview him when he was, you know, had passed away yet. No, but he came on. And when he passed away, his son sent me. He was also a really wonderful caricaturist. Sent me a doodle of his that he had inscribed to me before he passed. So it's one of my most cherished. But I would say Kurt Vonnegut, you can't go wrong. Like Playboy, wondering, you know, how do you maintain a sense of hope and levity when times. How do you keep laughing through all that? Right. How old are you? I'm 19. 19 years old. And the world's already beat the shit out of you and that. It's always the young dudes that are like, I have a quick question. I'm 19 years old. When hope is gone, when the darkness slowly creeps down. I'm 61, so I'm already in injury time, like, so I'm, I'm, I'm good. I'm actually weirdly always optimistic. We go. I think maybe that is the horizon of history. I came up at a time in the 60s where we had all these great leaders and we killed all of them, every single one. And then we went to Vietnam and Law and then Watergate, like, shit was just unraveling. So I do think it gives you a sense of, oh, it's always a mess, like, and what that makes you realize is, oh, so it's just, it's just. That's the game. We buckle down, you got a lunch, pail it and you carry through like you're 19. Like, you'll someday when you're 61 and people be saying, like, how do you maintain optimism and be like, you have no fucking idea what it was like when I was a kid. Like, you will be that guy to be able to say, like, you think it's bad now and obviously, look, it is. These are tenuous times and maybe even we'll talk a little bit about that on the program tonight. Terrible times. Thanks. No, but because part of the issue is like, you just want someone to talk to you like you're a human, like you're an adult. Not like they're like it's a work. Not like it's. They're, they're spinning you or any of those. That's my biggest complaint with all of us. Nobody expects perfection. Everybody knows that the obstacles and, and all the things that are going to be thrown in front of us are going to be arduous. That's life. Like, it's. Life is hard, you know, but you just want someone to not bullshit you when what, you know you see in here is what you see. Like, that's all that you can really do. But how do you maintain you're night. So you're 19, so are your friends optimistic or pessimistic? Or do they not talk about it? Or are they just on discord being racist? What is going on? I think a lot of people are pessimistic. I mean, how do I maintain optimism? Yes, I try to laugh. I watch the Daily Show. Sir, here's the only thing I would say. I'm glad you do that, but really, we write it for 8 year olds, so 19 is a little above our pay grade, but is it? I do remember 19. Like that age, there is a certain existential anxiety that creeps in because the world does listen. It feels out of control. You probably know more about it now than we did when we. I think one of the things that's probably harder for kids now is you are the amount of information that you absorb is probably. But I would imagine hopefully your brains will evolve to, you know, because when I was a kid, like TV happened and everybody's like that will, don't sit in front of the TV and eat and just watch tv. And now you'd be so happy if your children would do that. Like, you just be like, don't send pictures of your dick to people like.
- [25:30]
A
Hey, comedy fans, the funniest comedians in the world are on tour and you can get tickets to see them live near you. Laugh at the biggest names in comedy like Atsuka, Okatsuka, Chelsea Handler, Jimmy Carr, Kathy Griffin, Matt Matthews, Matt Rife, Sarah Silverman, Sebastian Maniscalco, Stavros Helkias, Wanda Sykes and so many more. All kinds of shows, all kinds of venues, all kinds of funny. Head to live nation.comcomedy to get your tickets today. That's livenation.comcomedy.
- [26:00]
B
Hey, everybody, Jon Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, the weekly show coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? Listen to the weekly show with Jon Stewart. Wherever you get your podcast.